ECUMENICAL ADVOCACY DAYS
March 23-26, 2012, Washington, D.C.
Ecumenical Advocacy Days
EAD is a three-day training event on justice and political advocacy. It is an interactive educational training event that prepares people to go back into their community to be informed and active advocates for justice.
In this era of economic and political urgency, as critical decisions are being made about U.S. federal budget priorities and as national elections are fast approaching, Ecumenical Advocacy Days (EAD) asks, “Is This the Fast I Seek?”
Come to the 10th annual EAD, March 23-26, 2012, in Washington, DC where we will explore economy, livelihood, and our national priorities through the lens of Isaiah 58. Join other Christians in seeking a global economy and a national budget that break the yokes of injustice, poverty, hunger, and unemployment throughout the world—heeding Isaiah’s call to become “repairers of the breach and restorers of streets to live in.”
Speakers include Dr. Margaret Aymer, Dr. Gary Dorrien, Ellen Nissenbaum, and Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver, II.
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COMPASSION PEACE AND JUSTICE TRAINING
MARCH 23, 2012, 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, Washington, D.C.
Theme: Presbyterians and Economic Justice
In these difficult economic times which further divide our nation and world between the “haves and the have not’s,” it is necessary for Presbyterians to lift up the ministries that address these growing economic disparities. The ministries of Compassion, Peace and Justice of the PC(USA) are coming together for the 2nd Annual CPJ Training Day in Washington, D.C., to educate Presbyterians on the role that the PC(USA) is playing in helping people to overcome and survive these difficult times. CPJ Training Day is hosted by the Presbyterian Office of Public Witness; Presbyterian Hunger Program; the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program; Self-Development of People; Presbyterian Disaster Assistance; the Presbyterian Ministry at the UN; Mission Responsibility through Investment; Environmental Ministries; Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association; and Child Advocacy.
Topics of plenaries and workshops will include faith-based community organizing, practical tools for simple living, justice as discipleship making, social responsibility through investing, and many more!
WORKSHOP TOPICS AND LEADERS
Faithful Living in a Global Economy
Explore how our faith in God calls us to live better and love deeper within the context of a global economy. The workshop includes biblical and theological reflection and practical “how to” ideas for practicing faith in everyday life, including opportunities to engage your congregation, family and community.
Leader: Melanie Hardison, Associate, Enough for Everyone, Presbyterian Hunger Program
Eco-Justice: How Economic and Ecological Health are Entertwined
In his workshop, we will look at how a concept of “eco-justice” encompasses ecological, economic, and social justice for all people on a thriving earth. Particular attention will be given to how environmental racism and classism affect economic well-being, for individuals and communities.
Leader: Rebecca Barnes-Davies, Associate for Environmental Ministries
The Millennium Development Goals: Where are we? Where might we go?
The eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) — which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015 — form a blueprint agreed to by all the world’s countries and all the world’s leading development institutions. They have galvanized unprecedented efforts to meet the needs of the world’s poorest. With three years to go until 2015, how are the countries of the world doing? What might come next? How can Presbyterians be involved?
Leader: Ryan Smith, Presbyterian Representative to the United Nations, Presbyterian United Nations Office
The Economic Implications of Occupation
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has repeatedly called for an end to the occupation of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem. What are the economic implications of the occupation — for Palestinians, for Israelis, for the United States? How can we respond?
Leader: Mark Koenig, Director, Presbyterian United Nations Office
The Economic Crisis Report Going to the General Assembly: Jobs, Families, Neighbors, and the Future
This workshop looks at the current crisis, longer term trends, and a strong set of remedies being recommended to the General Assembly. Let by the ethicist and economic development specialist who co-chair the study team, the focus will be on achieving justice in the report’s four basic areas. Moral as well as economic arguments will be provided, recognizing the influence of market categories and claims even when a range of government roles are accepted. Participants will also be asked what measures they would want to see in church policy and witness.
Co-leaders: Gloria Albrecht and William Saint, Advisory Committee on Social Witness Policy
Single Payer Health Insurance: What Happened? Is There Anything We Can Do?
Author of the 2008 General Assembly overture calling for a national single payer health plan will examine the specifics of the Affordable Care Act and lead a strategy session on how to defend and improve it through citizen advocacy.
Leader: Rev. Dr. Bebb Wheeler Stone, President, Presbyterian Health Education and Welfare Association
Peace and the National Budget
What does our budget reveal about our national priorities? How is our nation’s understanding of and commitment to peace borne out in the federal budget?
Leaders: Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and Leslie Woods, Representative for Domestic Issues, PresbyterianOffice of Public Witness
Trade Justice
While trade issues sound very far removed from our lives, global trade impacts the lives of people in explicit ways — jobs, environment, wages, labor, safety — both here and around the world. Our partners identify flawed approaches to trade as a cause of poverty in their communities and seek our support to reform trade policies. Even in today’s complex, globalized world, Biblical principles can guide our lives. We will look at trade through a number of lenses, including the extractive industries.
Leaders: Alexa Smith, Associate for National Hunger Concerns and Catherine Gordon, Representative for International Issues, Presbyterian Office of Public Witness
Food Sovereignty versus Food Security: The Difference? Does it Matter? Yes!
The sharing of food is a sacred act in Christianity and all faith traditions. Add to this the commandment to love neighbor near and far and we are called to create food systems that reflect the sacredness of food, care for creation and justice for all people involved in the food chain. What does this look like on the ground? Where is this holy food vision sprouting? The Presbyterian Hunger Program will share examples, and hear your stories, about positive initiatives and movements to build sustainable, just and sacred food systems. And we’ll answer the questions in the workshop title. . .
Leader: Andrew Kang Bartlett, Associate for National Hunger Concerns
Affordable Housing in your Community
Church-Based Community Organzing is active in creating housing trust funds (at the city, county, and state levels) that renovate and build thousands of units of affordable housing, in working with homeowners facing foreclosure and workout efforts, and bringing power to bear to shape policy and funding priorities of various levels of government. This workshop will include a primer on the practices and history of community organizing and then look at some current efforts around affordable housing.
Leader: Trey Hammond, Coordinator for Congregation-Based Community Organizing, Presbyterian Hunger Program
Putting Peace in the Protest
With Occupy Wall Street and other popular protests around the world, we’ll look at ways to ensure that our protests are peaceful.
Leader: Presbyterian Peacemaking Program
Achieving Economic Justice through Disaster Assistance
Practice has shown that the poor and marginalized are disproportionately impacted by disaster. As disaster impacts communities, some people are well provisioned and prepared and able to respond and recover, relying on their own resources and capacities. On the other hand, some people impacted by disaster, either lose the resources they might have had prior to the disaster, or may not have possessed the needed resources before the first sign of disaster. When we are called to respond following disaster, when we seek to assist the least of these, the people most in need of our assistance, most in need of our walking alongside, were often predisposed to vulnerability or already vulnerable due to injustice. They were frequently the people suffering from injustice prior to the added burden of the disaster. As our long-term recovery efforts reach families impacted by disaster, as we host volunteers to rebuild houses, these families have come to our attention because they have nowhere else to turn, they may well not be able to return to their house without our assistance, without our volunteers. By heeding the call to provide disaster assistance, we are addressing the most basic issues of economic justice.
Leaders: Rick Turner, Hospitality Associate and John Robinson, National Associate, Presbyterian Disaster Associate, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Photo by TC Davis
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